Meditations on the Four Elements

Delight in the aliveness of the world and grow your capacity for inner awareness, relaxation and insight by starting each of your Friday mornings this January with a free guided online meditation with Rowena.

Each session encourages an inspired reverence for one of four elements as valued in many traditions: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. They can be enjoyed separately, but the series is designed to flow and build in sequence as you do them in turn. For each one you will need a different item representing the element we will meditate on, close enough to see in detail or to feel its presence.

These sessions are ideal for anyone who’s done at least a little meditation before (due to the length) and can be particularly helpful for anyone who has had difficulty meditating with their eyes shut, because for these we need our eyes open to look at the living world.

The order and number of the elements varies according to philosophy and spiritual tradition, but since we and the elements are all interconnected and equally important, if our sequence happens to differ from one you are familiar with, please enjoy this idea of no hierarchy and soften to this flow. Aether, void, consciousness, space, sky, Akasha and metal are acknowledged but not covered in this series, to keep to simplicity.

8am Friday 5th January 2024: Meditation 1 – Earth
You are invited to sit comfortably with either a saucer of soil or a potted plant as your focus. It doesn’t matter what the plant material is, but you need to be able to see the living soil. You might like to water it first so that you can smell its earthy fragrance, or to keep it dry so that you can touch it. If you are bringing a pot in from outside, please take care to release any little creatures who might otherwise come in with it.

8am Friday 12th January: Meditation 2 – Water
You are invited to sit comfortably with a clear jug or bowl of water and an empty glass so that you can choose to include pouring it and, if you wish, drinking it. You might also like to have a piping hot cup of tea or other drink so that you can watch the steam rise and taste the liquidness.

8am Friday 19th January: Meditation 3 – Fire
You are invited to sit by a fire if you can, but if that is not an option for you, please sit with either a cosy hot water bottle to feel its heat, or a lit candle, or both. You might also like to light an incense stick to watch the glow. Again, a hot drink is a nice idea, so that you can feel its heat inside.

8am Friday 26th January: Meditation 4 – Air

The last session on the four elements will gather our focus on Air whilst bringing in appreciation of the Earth, Water and Fire elements we have previously meditated on. In keeping with those meditations we will be using our senses, as well as watching our breath moving a plant, or the breath of the wind reflected in plants growing outside if that’s an option for you. Or you may choose to simply close your eyes.

There is no charge for this event. Any donations will raise money for The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity (no. 1120414) that seeks to connect people to Nature, to each other and to themselves. It is thanks to the generosity of supporters that we are able to offer free events.

For more events from The Resurgence Trust, head to

www.resurgenceevents.org